Martin Parnell’s effort to set another Guinness World Record at the 49th Scotiabank Calgary Marathon May 26 was not meant to be.
Attempting to cover the 42.2-kilometre run in four hours or less in a full lacrosse uniform, Cochrane’s Marathon Man came up slightly short, completing the challenge in four hours, 18 minutes and 58 seconds.
Running to raise awareness to his children’s charity Right to Play, Parnell’s entire run was videotaped by a cameraman from Guinness to verify his record attempt, trailing behind on a mountain bike with a camera strapped to the handlebars.
“A key piece of technology that I had with me was my helmet 4iiii Sportiiiis,” said Parnell. “This little gizmo attached to my helmet would give me an audio heart rate and pace at two-minute intervals. To achieve the record, I would have to maintain a five minute, 30 second per-kilometre pace and keep my heart rate below 166 beats per minute (BPM).”
Parnell said everything started off well for him, but at the 28-km mark, things began to decline, as leg cramps started to settle in.
At kilometre 34, Parnell’s heart rate jumped to 175 BPM and he began to feel light-headed.
“The next four kilometres were a blur,” said Parnell. “My head was cooking and my buddies were pouring water through the vents of my helmet.”
Despite these issues, Parnell had been keeping up his record-setting pace, but by the 38th kilometre everything fell apart.
“My legs became rubber and started to spasm,” Parnell recalled. “My heart rate spiked at 190 BPM and I finally dropped off a four-hour pace.”
Parnell jogged for the next three kilometres in what he called a daze, and walked the final kilometre to the end.
“I crossed the line and collapsed,” said Parnell. “Medics were there and fellow runner Ally helped me to the medical tent. They laid me down, wrapped me in a silver blanket and fed me apple juice.”
Though he did not set a new Guinness World Record, Parnell is happy that he ‘gave it a go’ and said the main thing was that he ran for Right to Play.
He also didn’t rule out giving it another go.
“There’s always next year.”
For more, visit righttoplay.com.
